Taking Inventory of What Matters

For the past 8 and a half weeks, two good friends and I have been meeting each week and discussing our current Bible study. It is a Women of Faith study, entitled "Living Above Worry and Stress". As moms with young children who are active in our church and community, we deal with a lot of stress on a daily basis and we all felt this study would do us good. This week, a particular line from the leader's guide jumped out at me. "The world's idea of an active, community-minded, well-rounded individual may be good, but God's will for His children is perfect." I never wanted to be one of those families that seemed to be running here and there, always too busy to take time for what mattered. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks I know that has happened to us. With my husband having to drive over an hour to work and back, and not getting home until late, most of the shuttling of the kids has fallen to me. While running from violin practice to soccer practice to church activities and dealing with the daily errands that have to be dealt with, I longed for time to just relax at home with my family. After leaving my son's soccer game Saturday morning, I started coming down with a cold. My head ached, my nose was runny, my throat was itchy, and I just felt plain bad. I was reminded of another lesson in our study in which we were asked "Is there a chance God is using stress to get your attention?". So I have spent the last two days relaxing, reading to my kids, and trying not to let my to-do list bother me, although that is something that is very hard for me. It has been good for us to recharge and spend time together without a schedule. I'm not going to take my son out of his activities, and I can't change that my husband is not home until late most evenings. What I can change is what I let bother me (my house not being clean the way that I like it) and my attitude. After all, I'm not here to please those who might look down on me because my house is not perfect or I don't attend all of the events they think I should. I'm here to please my Lord and Savior and His will for my family is perfect!

Road to Becoming a Runner

Three weeks ago I decided it was time for a change. I did something that I have never tried before. I got up early in the morning, went outside, and started running. I ran as long as I could, then I walked until I caught my breath and ran again. After I got home, I realized that running has certain perks to it. I felt better, had more energy, and was proud of myself for trying something new. I think I just broke out of the rut that I was in. After searching online, I found a beginner's running program called Couch to 5K. It is supposed to take someone from being inactive to running a 5K race in 9 weeks. I decided to give it a try, and so Monday, June 7th I started the program. That first week, I was afraid I would not be able to run for the 60 seconds at a time the plan called for, but I pushed myself. It was then I realized another benefit of running. In the last 3 weeks, I have found that strength that I knew I had inside that has seemed hidden for so long. The second week of training I was supposed to increase my time to running for 90 seconds at a time, followed by walking for 2 minutes and then repeating the cycle for 20 minutes. Again, I reached deep inside myself and pushed myself to complete each workout. This week marks the third week of the program, and I have completed two of the three workouts for the week. This week, I am running for 90 seconds, walking 90 seconds, running 3 minutes, walking 3 minutes, and then repeating. As the end of the week approaches, I look to week 4 and wonder if I can do it. Can I run for 5 minutes straight, while decreasing my walking time between running? I know I will have to push myself to do it, but I know that I can do it. There is something so satisfying about coming in after a run, knowing that I completed the workout. I never thought running would be something that I would enjoy, but I am beginning to.